The New York-listed company is up 10pc this week and 60pc in the last year. Compass controls nearly 80pc of the UK market as owner of Salt Union, which operates the UK's largest rock salt mine in Winsford, Cheshire.

Other UK suppliers benefiting from the weather are Cleveland Potash, which is owned by Israeli company ICL Fertilizers, and Irish Salt Mining and Exploration.

The current cold snap – the worst in the UK for 30 years – is estimated to have cost British business £14.5bn by the end of the month.

It has forced the Government to convene Salt Cell – bringing together the Department for Transport, local councils, airport authorities, the Highways Agency and salt suppliers – to make a priority list to ensure supplies get to the most vulnerable areas of the UK.

Although prices paid by local authorities for their salt range from £20 to £30 a ton, according to the size and length of their contracts, increased demand feeds through to extra income for the producers.

Compass raised its prices in North America earlier this week and industry observers expect a UK price hike to follow shortly.

In its last reported results for the nine months to the end of September, Compass delivered operating profits of $174.1m (£109.2m), up from $153m in the same period in 2008.

It also said higher selling prices, lower fuel and transportation costs and improved production costs boosted earnings by 87pc.

Transport for London (TfL) said every local authority had a winter service strategy, while the Government looked after main roads and motorways.

"Nationally, our salt supplies are sufficient," a TfL spokesman said. "We are co-ordinating efforts to ensure that the salt gets from the suppliers to the areas that are most in need.

"Mutual aid allows local authorities to work with one another, and even the Highways Agency if they are in need of salt and come up short."